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Astavakrasana

Eight-Angled Pose
ashta = eight
 vakra = crooked, curved, bent
indra = ruler, lord
(A very learned sage whose mother attended Vedic chanting classes while pregnant, Astavakra was so named because while in his mother’s womb, he winced at eight of his father’s mispronunciations of Vedic prayers, and was thus born with eight bends in his body)

 

Breathing

As compared to parsva bakasana, in which the body weight is lifted and supported on the upper arms, astavakrasana requires you to suspend the weight of the lower body from the support of the upper arms. It’s interesting to examine which pose affords easier breathing. Which pose requires more or less expenditure of energy, and which offers more freedom of movement for the diaphragm?

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Images from the book Yoga Anatomy by Leslie Kaminoff & Amy Matthews displayed on this website are used under license.

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